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July has gone so quickly.... it has been beautiful weather, and I have missed blogging about all sorts of sunny outings......... High Beeches Gardens near Haywards Heath, King John's Lodge in Etchingham, eating on the Pier, strange Turkish film night at the Electric Palace, a trip out to Romney Marsh, the latest exhibition at the Jerwood....
It is a bit alarming that as you get a bit older, time goes so quickly. It is like the sand running out of the pointy bit at the bottom of an hour glass. I remember as a child, the summer seemed to be everlasting. Endless, mysteriously always sunny days - not as endless as double maths though, or hockey on a cold afternoon.
When time goes so fast, it is easy to forget things, and I wanted to focus on sunny, happy stuff for this post - the global situation is so awful it is good to remember the positives -and we are so lucky living here, with all this beauty around us.
So, what have I missed?High Beeches is an interesting place - w…

Ken Clarke's recent description of Theresa May as a 'bloody difficult woman' increased her popularity ratings. Our new woman Prime Minister joins the increasing numbers of women leaders, plus we also have a female Home Secretary and a female Lord Chancellor. So, it's time to think about Battleaxes. What is a Battleaxe? Where does the term come from? Can we describe these women leaders as Battleaxes?
The Oxford English Dictionary defines 'Battleaxe' as a 'formidably aggressive older woman', and gives these synonyms: harridan, dragon, crone, witch, hag, hatchet-face, ogress, gorgon, old bag, hellcat, harpy, virago, bitch, shrew, scold. Not pleasant.
Many of the above words are commonly used to describe powerful women, or women who stick their heads above the parapet. I don't want this post to be an anti-men diatribe, but I can't avoid mentioning the dislike of female power that some men exhibit, and the particularly disagreeable combinat…

Well, following last weekend, Hastings life has been busy. We enjoyed seeing Leigh Dyer and his Blacksmiths on the Beach, went to the Art Boot Fair and mingled with celebs, and Battleaxe got stuck in with the WI for our Pirate Day event at the Jenny Lind pub.....
First, the Blacksmiths on the Beach. Battleaxe readers may have read about how, a few years ago, we gave a family flypress to local art blacksmith Leigh Dyer? We visit it every year at Open Studio time... Well, being the enterprising person that he is, Leigh is now producing a huge metal sculpture to be sited on Hastings Beach, as part of the celebrations marking the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. Part of the sculpture was forged in front of the public, in a massive display on the Stade, in association with the British Art Blacksmiths' Association. We went along to have a look. Here are a few pictures.

Next, on Saturday, we went to the Art Car Boot Fair, again, on the Stade. This is not our usu…

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Welcome!Battleaxe moved from Birmingham to Hastings in November 2011, with her husband, the Philosopher. They now live overlooking the sea in the Clive Vale area of the town. Formerly a consultant working in social housing, she is now a part-time writer.